F.X. Sutono, fairway snake catcher from Semarang

F.X. Sutono, fairway snake catcher from Semarang

By Tarko Sudiarno and Nugroho CH

SEMARANG, Central Java (JP): What is likely to happen to a
golf player who is busy playing his sport when all of a sudden a
snake slithers towards him? He will no doubt be disturbed and no
longer enjoy the game, and the golf course management are sure to
lose some credibility.

Of course, golf course entrepreneurs do not want such
incidents occurring. Periodic sweeping of golf courses for snakes
has become a business necessity. Accordingly, sweeping has become
a promising business opportunity, though not many have sought it
because it is a dangerous job and requires certain expertise.

One of those who has used his sharp eyes to arrest this
opportunity is F.X. Sutono, a beast tamer from Semarang. In fact,
he has been requested to sweep snakes from golf courses all over
Indonesia, which total around 100.

Sutono, however, refused to mention his rate of fees to sweep
snakes from golf courses.

"The important thing is that the fees are enough to cover our
transportation costs, plus an additional extra for the service,"
said the grandfather of five, who celebrated his 81st birthday on
Dec. 28, explained.

His large house in a posh housing complex in Semarang plus
five cars in his garage are enough to prove how the business he
has been deeply involved in has been quite lucrative. In a week,
Sutono and his assistants usually get one to two orders.

As a snake tamer, Sutono firmly denies the myth that claims
that snakes can be called. "Snakes are precisely the only animal
that cannot be called." The only way to catch snakes is by
approaching them," said the man who was born in Tlawah village, a
sub-district of Kedung Jati, Purwodadi Regency, Central Java.

Sutono inherited his expertise in handling snakes from his
grandfather, a forester in Dutch Indian times. Ever since he was
a small boy, Sutono had been intimate with wild animals because
he lived near a forest.

To catch snakes in the golf course area, Sutono uses two
matches which are placed across each other on his left palm. If
one of the matches vibrates, then it is certain that there is a
snake (snakes) in the direction of the vibrating match. Sutono
then points to that direction and his assistants immediately
approach, seek and catch the snake(s). A golf course of
approximately 30 hectares can be cleared from snakes within two
consecutive days.

The captured snakes are then gathered and contained in a box,
which will be brought home to Semarang. Some of them are taken
care of in a zoo named Taman Lele, which is managed by Sutono,
and others are released in safe wild places such as swamps or the
sea, depending of course on the kind of snake. "They also have a
right to live," Sutono said.

"If they are not provoked or stepped on, snakes will not
attack or bite people. Snakes prefer to avoid men. They are not
as ferocious as human beings," he said.

Lover of animals

Sutono prefers to be called a lover of animals rather than an
animal tamer. "I am not a tamer, but an animal lover," he said.

That is why Sutono never kills the snakes that he catches. He
prefers to look after the snakes or release them in safe places.
Sutono has never been tempted to commercialize the skins or meat
of snakes though this business could make him very rich. "If I
wanted to do so, I could be rich by trading in snakes, but what
for?" he said.

The snake trade is indeed very tempting. That is why the
Indonesian Institute of Sanca (Yayasan Sanca Indonesia) is
worried about the extinction of snakes as a result of unchecked
poaching.

Chairman of the Institute, Bowo Nurcahyo, said that over
100,000 snakes are caught and traded every month in Yogyakarta
province alone. If this is not stopped immediately, Bowo, said
there will be few snakes left in Yogyakarta by 2003.

The type of snakes caught and traded are different kinds of
cobra, jali and pythons. In addition to their skins, their meat
as well as their bile are expensive commodities. The price of a
cobra can reach Rp 12,000, and Rp 10,000 for jali snakes. Bowo
estimated the snake business in Yogyakarta province is worth
approximately Rp 1.2 billion monthly.

As an animal lover, Sutono has never been tempted by the
amount of money the snake trade can make. "I have never killed
any snake, let alone sell its skin," he said.

Sutono loves animals so much that back in 1972 he made a
controversial decision. He decided to retire from his position as
a civil servant in the Diponegoro Military Command that oversees
security in Central Java and Yogyakarta Central and decided to
accept an offer from the Mayor of Semarang, Hadiyanto, to manage
the Taman Lele Zoo.

As a manager of the zoo, he received a monthly salary of Rp
4,500 whereas as a civil servant he received hundreds of
thousands of rupiahs monthly plus a pension. Sutono currently
still chairs the Taman Lele Zoo. "My monthly salary is Rp
125,000."

Sutono's income as manager of Taman Lele Zoo is indeed very
small. But he earns a great deal more money outside this job,
sweeping snakes from golf courses.

Before golf courses began mushrooming, Sutono also earned a
lot of money from making use of his expertise as a tamer of
poisonous animals such as snakes, scorpions and centipedes. He
has made use of his expertise to become involved in approximately
127 films, both as an actor, a director and an officer in charge,
giving immunity to actors and actresses as well as the film crew
so that they are not injured when they are bitten by snakes or
stung by scorpions during shooting.

Outside the film business, Sutono also conducts snake dance
shows around the city that he and his crew visit. For this
activity, he gets help from his wife, Sukorini, and his
assistants. The Nogogini (meaning fire of snake) snake dance
group that is led by Cecilia Sukorini has in fact been registered
as a pioneer of snake dancing in Indonesia.

As a manager of a zoo, Sutono has also been lucky because he
has managed to travel the world. He has visited no less than 21
countries to demonstrate his expertise as a snake tamer and to
attend a world congress of animal lovers.

"Had I decided to remain a civil servant, I wouldn't have had
such opportunities," he said.